Tag separating devices having edge riffling means



Nov. 15, 1966 c. A. PARKER 3,285,604

TAG SEPARATING DEVICES HAVING EDGE RIFFLING MEANS Filed Oct. 26, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet l 2 FIG.

FIG. 2

INVENTOR. CHARLES A. PAR/(El? Nov. 15, 1966 c. A. PARKER 3,285,604

TAG SEPARATING DEVICES HAVING EDGE RIFFLING MEANS Filed Oct. 26, 1964 5 sheets sheet 2 FIG. 3 1 $52 INVENTOR CHARLES A. PARKER AGENT C. A. PARKER Nov. 15, 1966 TAG SEPARATING DEVICES HAVING EDGE RIFFLING MEANS Filed Oct. 26, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. CHARLES- A. PAR/(ER I I ilk! AGENT C. A. PARKER TAG SEPARATING DEVICES HAVING. EDGE RIFFLING MEANS Filed Oct. 26, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG. 9

FIG. 8

F'IG.

C. A. PARKER Nov. 15, 1966 me SEPARATING DEVICES HAVING EDGE RIFFLING MEANS Filed Oct. 26, 1964 V 5 SheetsSheet 5 FIG.

IN VENT'OR.

CHARL .5 A. PAR/(ER AGENT United States Patent M York Filed Oct. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 406,481 20 Claims. (Cl. 27144) This invention relates to machines for attaching tags to articles. More particularly, the invention is directed to rifiling devices for separating tags to be fed individually from a stack in preparation for an attaching operation.

In many instances such tags are provided with a tearoff end portion separable from the main body of the tag by the usual linear series of alternately spaced uncut and partially cut through portions of the tag. Where such tags are inserted in tightly stacked form within a storage hopper the protrusions engendered by the partially cut through series are caused to be pressed within the corresponding recesses of an adjacent tag and the locking effect, taken with the normal static adhesion of one tag with another when arranged in stack pile form, tends at times to erroneously cause more than one tag at a time to be fed from the hopper by the tag feeding means. Also, during advancement of a tag inthe feeding operation such protrusions tend to lift the stack pile so that the trailing edge of the bottom tag is nowapt to slip over the picker knife which thereupon will pass under the tag without feeding.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means for automatically partially parting stacked tags by rifiling the rearward edges of the lower tags of the stack, whereby to relieve such adhesion and to release such locking effect at the tear-off section.

Another object of the invention provides for said riffling means to also depress the rearward edge of a tag into proper alignment for engagement by the tag feed devices.

Another object of the invention provides means where'- by the rifllng means is adapted for use with either short or long length tags.

As a further object the invention provides improved means for depressing the stack pilewhereby to maintain engagement of the lower tag with the picker knife after a tag moves free of the riflling means during a tag feeding operation.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction and novel combination of parts will now be described with reference to the drawings and more particularly defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the machine embodying the invention, with portions of the casing broken away;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view with the top portion of the machine removed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation showing the tag hopper and feeding mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a section taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of the hopper and feeding mechanism and showing the tag rifiling devices;

FIG. 6 is a detail section showing the driving pin for fastening a tag to an article;

FIG. 7 shows a tag applicable to use with the machine;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a modified form of tag compressing means for inserting within the tag hopper;

FIG. 9 is a front end elevation of the same;

FIG. 10 is a detail cross section taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a sectional elevation of the hopper showing 3,285,684 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 the modified compressing means inserted therein and with the tag riflling means adjusted for shorter length tags; and

FIG. 12 is a plan view taken on line 1212 of FIG. 11.

I The machine to which the invention is applied is similar to that set forth in US. Patent No. 3,025,054, issued March 13, 1962, to John E. Clemens et al., and to which reference is made for details of construction and operation not herein deemed necessary to describe.

As shown in FIG. 1 the machine in general includes a pin feeding and handling mechanism 50, a tag hopper 52 with its associated tag feeding mechanism (FIGS. 3 and 5), an intermediate station 54 at which a tag to be attached is exposed and an attaching station 55 having a plunger mechanism 56 to position the tags and articles to which they are to be attached. In order to pin a tag to an article the operator places the article over the plunger 56 (see also FIG. 6) at the attaching station 55 and thereafter operates a start button 58 (FIG. 1) to liminary cycle, is fed from the intermediate station 54 to the attaching station 55 and into position over the plunger 56 with the article thereon. The plunger rises to bend the article and tag, and a pin is driven through the tag and article, as in the manner more fully set forth in the above reference patent.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it may be seen that power is supplied to drive various mechanisms of the machine by a motor M which is constantly operating whenever the machine is to be used. The motor is connected to a shaft (FIG. 2) having fixed thereto a worm 82 which drives a worm gear 84. The gear is fixed to a sleeve 86 which rotates freely on a cam shaft 87 and which also has formed thereon a flange 88 (FIG. 1). Thus, whenever the motor M is operating, the flange 88 is constantly rotating and forms the driving portion of a clutch 90. The driven portion of the clutch includes a pawl 92 pivotally mounted on a generally circular plate 94 secured to the cam shaft 87. The pawl is provided with a lug adapted to be received in one of four notches 89 in the flange 88 and is also provided with a tailpiece which is engaged by a latch 96 to hold the pawl against the action of a spring 98 and disengaged from the flange 88. When the clutch is disengaged, as seen in FIG. 1, the latch is held against a stop 99 and in engagement with the pawl by a spring 100. Near its upper end the latch 96 is slotted to receive one end of a bar 102 having a shoulder engaging the forward side of the latch. The bar 102 at its opposite end is connected to the lower end of an arm 104 which also has fixed thereto the start button 58. It is apparent from FIG. 1, that rearward movement of the start button causes the latch 96 to be disengaged from the pawl 92 allowing the pawl to engage one of the notches in the flange 88 to drive the cam shaft 87. Rotation of the plate 94 causes a pin 106 projecting from the plate to raise the bar 102 so that its shoulder releases the latch 96 for engagement with the tailpiece of the pawl at the end of a single revolution of the plate 94. To prevent overthrow of the clutch and to ensure that the cam shaft always stops in the same position, the periphery of the plate 94 is provided with a depression adapted to receive a detent roll 108 when the shaft 87 is in its stop position, the roll being carried by a spring biased arm 110.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 the hopper 52 forms a receptacle for a stack of tags T, with the bottom tag of the stack resting upon a suitable slide 156. The platform 138 is provided with a slideway 154 adapted to receive the slide 156, which is secured to an underlying parallel but offset slide 158. The slide 158 is guided for forward and rearward reciprocating movements by a pair of ways 160 fixed to a plate 162 supporting the platform 138.

The slide 158 is provided with depending ears 164 which are connected by a pin and slot connection to one arm 165 (FIG. 3) of a yieldable two-piece lever forming a bell crank 166. Another arm 168 of the bell crank carries a roll which rides on the periphery of a cam 170 fixed to the cam shaft 87. As is apparent from FIG. 3, one revolution of the cam shaft 87 causes the slides 156 and 158 to be moved forward to the intermediate tag station 54 as indicated in broken lines and to be returned to the hopper as indicated in full lines. As seen in FIG. 5, slide 156 has fast thereto a picker knife 157 adapted upon forward movement of the slide to engage the rearward edge of the bottom tag of the stack and advance the tag forwardly from the hopper through a slot 183 formed in the forward wall of the hopper by an adjustable plate 184 which allows only the lowermost tag to be moved from the hopper. The leading edge of the tag, as it is fed forward, engages and lifts a gate 186 having ears 188 (FIG. 4) pivotally mounted to the side walls of the hopper. After passage of the tag, the gate drops behind the tag to prevent accidental return of the tag to the hopper. During its forward movement the tag moves under a spring pressed plate 190, which at its forward end is pointed as at 192, and thereafter also moves under a similar spring-pressed plate 194. During the return movement of the slide 156 retrograde movement of the tag is prevented by the forward face of the gate 186. When slide 156 has been fully returned to the hopper, spring pressure acting through the plates 190 and 194 causes the tag to drop to a lower level onto portions of the support 138 so that the tag T is positioned at the intermediate station 54 as shown in FIG. 5. The plates 190, 194 are yieldingly mounted on a transparent plate 195 which is removably mounted. Thus, when positioned at the intermediate station, the tag to be attached on the next cycle of the machine is visible to the operator.

During the next cycle of the machine in which the slide 156 is moved forward to feed another tag out of the hopper to the intermediate station, the leading edge 196 of the slide engages the previously fed tag at the intermediate station and moves the tag to the attaching station indicated at 55 in FIGS. 3 and 5. Thus, it may be seen from the foregoing that each individual tag is moved successively from the tag hopper to the intermediate station outside of the hopper during one cycle of the machine and then during the next cycle is moved to the attaching station where the tag is pinned to an article positioned over the plunger 56, as in the manner fully set forth in the above patent of reference.

Briefly, when the tag has been moved to the attaching station 55, as indicated in broken lines in FIG. 3, the rearward end of the tag is positioned over the plunger 56. The plunger is mounted for heightwise sliding movements in a guide block 220 carried by a portion of the machine frame. At its lower end the plunger is connected to a two-piece yieldable lever 222 which at its rearward end carries a cam roll riding on the periphery of a cam 224 fixed to the cam shaft 87. It is apparent from the shapes of the cams 170 and 224 that as soon as the cam shaft commences rotation the slide 156 is moved forward to feed a tag from the intermediate station to the attaching station over the plunger 56 during which time a dwell on the cam 224 maintains the plunger in its lowermost position. Thereafter, the plunger is moved upwardly to press an article A (FIG. 6) placed over the plunger 56 up into engagement with the tag T, the tag and article being bent into the positions indicated against an anvil portion 225 formed in the bar 204. While in this position a pin 230 from the usual paper strip roll is moved in known manner by a driver 232 through guide pass 236 and, through the tag T and article A, the pin passing through a groove 237 in the plunger 56. The pointed end of the pin 230 is deflected near the end of its movement by a hardened anvil 238 in the bar 204 in a direction which causes the pointed end of the pin to be embedded in the tag T.

Suitable means are provided for advancing the pin strip roll a sufficient distance during each machine cycle of operation to move one pin each time into alignment with the driver 232, as in the manner fully set forth in the above reference patent.

Tag rifiling means As earlier set forth, tags inserted within a hopper in stackpile manner have a tendency for statically adhering to each other. Also, tear-off portions when indicated by partially cut through portions of the tag causes the corresponding extrusions of one tag to engage with the recesses of the partially cut portions of the adjacent tag, thereby tending to lock the tags against sliding movement one relative to the other. Again, such extrusions act to lift the trailing end of the tag so that the usual picker knife feeding means may fail to engage the tag during feeding operations.

In order to obviate such objections novel means are provided as will now be described with particular reference to FIG. 5.

Piyotally mounted at 1 upon a support frame 2, secured by pin and slot means 3, 4 for vertical adjustment upon a fixed bracket 5 of the machine, is a rock lever 6. Fast within the forward end of lever 6 is a stud 7 upon I which is pivotally mounted a pawl 8, through means of a suitable elongated slot 9. A spring 10 connected to the upper end of pawl 8 and to the rock lever 6 serves to bias said pawl downwardly and also in a clockwise direction so that the lower end of said pawl, extending through a suitable guide slot of bracket 5, is engageable with the tags T, as in a manner and purpose to be described. Rock lever 6 is normally held in a counterclockwise position, against tension of a spring 11 connected thereto and to the frame 2, by means of engagement of the lower edge 12 of said lever with a split tube member 13 frictionally secured upon the upper end of a bracket 14 secured to the picker knife offset slide 158, earlier described. Thus in a forward movement of slide 156, in which picker knife 157 advances the lowermost tag out of the stack, the member 13 will be carried forwardly of the surface 12 to permit rock lever 6 under influence of its spring 11 to be rocked in a clockwise direction. Upon clockwise operation of lever 6 pin 7 moving along slot 9 eventually picks up pawl 8, whereby the lower nose of said pawl is dragged upwardly along the rearward edges of the tags. During such operation the pawl, while yielding counterclockwise, will act to lift up the rearward ends of the tags in a rifliing manner which serves to separate the trailing end of the tags and to reduce such adhesion and locking effect of one tag with the other earlier described.

During a return movement of slide 156 the tube member 13 acts to impart a counterclockwise operation to the rock lever 6 and pawl 8 is now yieldingly urged by spring 10 downwardly and inwardly against the tag stack. During this operation the pointed lower end of the pawl is caused to enter between the tags and exert a downward pressure upon certain of the lower tags of the stack, thus pressing the trailing edge of the bottom tag against support slide 156 in aligned condition for subsequent engagement of picker knife 157 therewith. At the same time said entry of the pointed nose of pawl 8 between the tags will further act to effect a separation of the tags.

Means for compressing tags in hopper In order to maintain tags in a flattened condition for proper engagement with the usual picker knife feed means it is customary heretofore where tags are stored within a feed hopper to place therein a solid type structure weight member having a flat area for resting upon the tag stack. Where, however, a tag includes a tear-off portion, which causes increased thickness to the tag along the line of extrusions for separating such portions from the body of the tag, such weight is caused to be applied principally to the tear-off line rather than at the trailing edge of the tag. Also, such extrusions make for an uneven and constantly changing point of upward pressure applied against the tag stack during a tag advancing operation. This all acts to lift the weight and prevent proper weight distribution upon the tags when feeding, so that the trailing end of the bottom tag during feeding operation is apt to snap upwardly free of the picker knife and thus cause a misfeed to occur. In the instant case therefore in lieu of the usual flat base, a weight 15 is provided with a concave lower surface 15', so that as the extruded tag portion is moved along under such surface any bowing of the tags by the extrusions will now have no effect toward lifting said weight member.

Where, however, a single tag remains to be ejected it has been noted that due to weakness of a tag at the usual perforated sensing area a bowing of the tag is now very apt to occur, since no stiffening support is provided by other tags. This has been obviated in one manner herein by providing a yielda-ble slide member 16 having the lower edge thereof resting upon the tag stack in straight line manner. Slide 16 is mounted upon the weight 15 by pin and slot means 17 and a spring 18 inserted with a suitable bore of said weight exerts light pressure upon the slide. Said slide while yielding to the upper thrust induced by any tag extrusions has however by spring 18 sufiicient pressure to maintain any final tag against the support plate 156 and so prevent such un-' wanted bowing 'of the tag.

Modified form of means for compressing tags in hopper While in the above arrangement certain improvements are effected over the earlier known weight structures having a single flat surface for engagement with a tag, applicant includes herein a modification of such weight unit which is adapted to the use of different length tags and regardless of uneven thickness of any tag to uniformly maintain selected spaced pressures upon the tag during an advancement thereof following its release from the depressed paw 8.

With particular reference to FIGS. 8-12 such modified weight unit includes nested within a first U-shaped frame 22, a U-shaped frame 23 secured to frame 22 by means of a pair of screw studs 24, said studs serving also to secure to the frame 22 a finger piece 25 for handling purposes.

Fast within frame 23 to extend downwardly therefrom is a pair of support studs 26 having secured thereto by means of screw studs 27 a pair of downwardly extending members forming left and right end plates 28, 29 respectively as viewed in FIG. 8, plate 29 however actually being forward and plate 28 rearward when the weight unit is placed within the machine proper.

Mounted within plates 28, 29 to extend transversely thereof is a pair of sup-port rods 30, said rods being secured therein by means of well-known clip rings 31 engaging suitable grooves cut within the rods near their extremities. Upon said pair of rods 30 are hung a plurality of spaced slide plates 32 each slide having a pair of slotted openings 33 for receiving said rods. At the lower end of each slide 32 a split tube member 34 is pressed thereon, as shown.

Similarly mounted to rest upon rods 30 and adjacent to each of the slides 32 are placed supplemental slides 32' as desired, somewhat shorter in length to the corresponding slides 32. A pin 35 extends laterally from each of the slides 32 and is spaced to underlie the lower edge of the related adjacent slides 32 with a slight clearance therefrom, as shown.

Thus the whole now comprises a unit weight structure for which any individual plate member 32 is slidable upwardly independently of any other slide plate 32 and will by means of pin 35 therein act subsequently to raise also any such adjacent slide plates 32 relate-d thereto.

In the contempleted mode of use, the tags having first been stacked within the hopper, the operator by means of handle 25 merely places the weight structure bodily within the hopper causing the tube members 34 to rest upon the topmost tag of the stacked pile.

As earlier described, any increased thickness of a tag at the tear-off line, due tothe aforementioned extrusions, will cause the tags in the hopper to fan out in an upward rise toward such tear-off line thereof. Now as the weight means is placed upon the tag stack, tubes 34 for each of the related groups of slide plates 32, 32' will come independently to rest at different lifted positions relative to any other and said slides 32, 32 will effect selective pressures at various spaced points along the tags. It is to be observed also that the frames 22, 23 are caused to rest upon any particular slide plates 32 that assumes a highest position, thereby adding their weight thereto and thus providing added pressure upon the tag stack at the particular point where the tag stack is highest.

As is well understood, two critical points in feeding a tag is to assure that the forward end of a tag is held against the support slide 156 (FIG. 5) so as to properly pass through the exit throat and that the trailing edge of the tag be held into engagement with the picker knife 157 throughout a tag advancement. Where additional weight is needed supplemental plates 32 may therefore be added at will by merely removing spring clips 31 and withdrawing support rods 30, said plates being thereupon substituted for the spacing collars 36 shown thereon.

As the bottom tag is advanced by the picker knife 157, and so :moves forward from under the pawl 8, the tearoff line of extrusions on the tag will advance therewith and thereby imparts a lifting action in wave fashion along the stack. In the instant case therefore such action will successively merely lift and thereafter release one after the other each such group of the weight slides 32, 32. Thus the effect is to now uniformly maintain a selected overall weight upon the tag throughout the tag advance and thereby prevents the tag from lifting free of the picker knife.

As the stack pile is diminished the frames 22, 23 with plates 32, 32 move downwardly therewith and when but a few tags remain to be ejected said frames with support rods 30 are halted by engagement of suitable downwardly bent ends 37 of frame 23 with the upper edges of the hopper casing. While the frames 22, 23 remain thus held the weight slides 32 32' continue free to move downwardly along slots 33 together with the remaining stack pile and until the weights 32 are stopped by engagement thereof with the rods 30. Therefore relative to the final two or three tags only the weight slides 32 will continue resting upon the tags, serving more lightly to hold the tags for engagement with picker knife 157, sufficient however against any possible bowing effect as might occur particularly in the operation of a final tag. Also, following an operation of the final tag, slides 32 are also stopped by rods 30 and the weight now being minimized and in view of the curvature of the tube members 34 any wear from metal to metal contact of the picker knife 157 with said tubes in any such subsequent operations is thus greatly reduced.

As shown in FIGS. 11, 12, in order that both long and short tags may be accommodate in the machine the riffiing means is now mounted upon a frame member 38 which in turn is mounted for a slidable adjustment upon the fixed support frames 39, 40, by means of suitable pin and slot connections 41, 42. Frame 38 is adapted of adjustment manually to either the position L for long tags T or to a position S for short tags T, by means of a thumb lever 43 secured to said frame. A suitable spring click pawl 44 having a roller 45 engageable with a pair of spaced notches 46 in the near edge of frame 38 serves as a detent means to hold said frame and thereby the rifiling means in either of said adjusted positions.

As best seen in FIG. 11, upon adjustment of frame 38 to the forward, or leftward position for short tags as shown in the drawings, said frame is brought to a position beneath the first two tube members 34 at the right, which normally relate to the use of long tags. Thus, as the tags are successively ejected from the hopper by picker knife 157 (FIG. in the manner earlier described the frame 38 being in forward position serves now to intercept the described downward movement of the slidable weights 32, 32 associated with said tube members 34 and thereby holds the same in an elevated position free of interference with the recipro-catory feed movements of the picker knife 157.

In order to accommodate stacking either long or short tags within the magazine hopper the shiftable frame 31 is provided with an upwardly extending plate 46 having an angularly disposed vertical flange 47 along the upper left edge thereof, as viewed in FIG. 12. Said flange in effect thus forms a rearward guide wall shiftable within the hopper to cooperate with a corresponding cut-01f corner of each tag in holding short tags properly stacked within the hopper.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be obvious that changes in form and details of the device may be made by those skilled in the art, and it is, therefore,

contemplated to cover by the appended claims any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. In a tag feeding and separating device comprising a hopper for holding a stack of tags;

support means for said tags; and

means operable for advancing tags from said hopper seriatim along said support means: the combination therewith of tag separating means including a member operable in one direction of its movement to riffle the trailing edges of the tag stack for separating tags; and

operable in a reverse movement thereto for entering a a wedge between tags so rifiied whereby to effect further separation thereof.

2. The invention according to claim 1; and wherein said member during the latter said operation acts to depress the end of a tag against said support means, thereby aligning a tag edge for a subsequent cooperation with said tag advancing means.

3. In a tag feeding and separating device comprising a hopper for holding a stack of tags;

support means for said tags; and

reciprocating means operable for advancing tags from said hopper seriatim along said support means; the combination therewith of tag separating means including a rifiiing element operable in one direction of its movement to riffle the trailing ends of the tag stack for separating tags; and

in a reverse movement thereto for entering as a wedge between tags to further effect separation thereof; and

an oscillating member for operating said riffiing element and having yieldable connection therewith for biasing said element toward said tags and toward said support means.

4. The invention according to claim 3; the said rifiling element supported by pin and elongated slot means upon said oscillating member; and said yieldable connection including spring means connected between said riflling element and said oscillating member for yieldably biasing said riflling element rotatably toward said tags and slidable toward said support means.

5. The invention according to claim 3; and

a control means operable with the tag advancing means and adapted to effect an operation of the said operating member to cause a riflling operation upon the tags by the said riffling element subsequent to an initial advancing movement of a tag; and

8 said operating member operable by the said control means in a subsequent completion of a return stroke operation of the tag advancing means for causing said rifliing element to compress the rearward end of the bottom tags of the stack pile.

6. The invention according to claim 5; and adjustable support means for the said operating member, settable for determining a perpendicular spaced position of the riffiing element from the said tag support means.

7. The invention according to claim 5; and

a floating weight structure for maintaining the tags compressed in a further tag advance following a move ment thereof from under the riffling element, said structure having an arched lower surface, whereby weight is applied only at separated points of contact near opposite ends of the tags in the stack pile; and a resilient means spanning said points of contact and providing yieldable pressure lighter to said weight structure along the tag intermediate said points of contact.

8. In a tag feeding and separating device comprising a hopper for holding a stack of tags;

support means for said tags; and

tag engaging means operable for advancing tags from said hopper seriatim along said support means: the combination therewith of tag separating means including a rifliing element operable in one direction to separate the trailing ends of the lower tags of the stack; and

operable in another direction to effect entry thereof into the stack pile for wedging tags apart and to compress the trailing end of a tag against said support means for subsequent operation by said tag engaging means.

9. The invention according to claim 8; and said rifiiing element mounted for selective adjustment for cooperation with different lengths of tags.

10. The invention according to claim 8; and a plurality of weight structures acting to compress the stack pile at selected other points thereon, at least one of said structures being displaceable relative to the other in accordance with a variation in tag thickness.

11. The invention according to claim 10; and

wherein said weight structures include a first weight of solid structure having an arched surface for spanning a portion of a tag; and

a member of lighter weight to said first weight, yieldable relative thereto and having a linear surface for spanning a tag in coincidence with said arched surface.

12. In an apparatus of the class described the combi nation of means for compressing tags in a storage hopper: comprising a first weight structure having spaced points of contacts for resting upon the leading and trailing ends respectively of a tag stack; and

a yieldable member spanning said spaced points and exerting lighter compression upon the tags along the spanned area between said spaced points.

13. The invention according to claim 8; and means for compressing the stack pile at selected points upon the tags including a plurality of independently controlled weight members each separately displaceable relative to the other and adapted for uniformly maintaining pressure thereon regardless of variations in a tag thickness, universal support means for said weight members, a frame structure mounting said universal support means and wherein the whole forms a common body for placement on/ off the stack pile.

14. The invention according to claim 9; and means for compressing the stack pile within said hopper: comprising a compound weight structure for placement on/oif said stack pile and including a plurality of slide members for resting upon the stack pile each slide independently movable of the other; and

means settable in accordance with said selective adjustment of the rifiling means to limit the terminal movement of any of said slides not in cooperating relation with the stack pile.

15. In an apparatus of the class described the combination of means for compressing media such as tags 01' the like in a storage hopper: comprising a Weight structure for placement on/off said media and including a first plurality of slide members for resting upon said media each independently movable of the other;

a second plurality of slide members each in association with a corresponding one of the first said slide members;

said second slide members supported by corresponding ones of the first said slide members subsequent to an initial movement relative one to the other.

16. The invention according to claim 15; and wherein said weight structure includes a casing for said slides said casing adapted for resting upon the slide member highest displaced by the stacked media, whereby to increase pressure upon said stacked media at such highest point thereof.

17. The invention according to claim 16 and means for automatically releasing said casing from said highest slide member when the stack pile is diminished to a given point.

18. For an apparatus of the class described, I

a compound weight structure for resting upon and compressing stored media within a storage hopper; comprising a housing frame including support rods mounted therea plurality of first spaced weight elements mounted for vertical displacement upon said rods;

supplemental weight elements thereon adjacent related ones of said first spaced Weight elements; means associated with said first spaced weight elements for displacing relative thereto selected ones of said supplemental weight elements When said compound weight structure is placed upon said stored media;

means for supporting said housing frame when the stored media is depleted to a given point;

said rods subsequently supporting said supplemental weight elements at a further depleted point for the stored media;

and wherein for a final depletion of the stored media only said plurality of first spaced weight elements rest upon the stored media.

19. The invention according to claim 18 and wherein following a removal of all said stored media from said storage hopper the said plurality of first spaced weight elements become suspended upon said support rods.

20. The invention according to claim 19 and said first spaced Weight elements presenting a convex surface to the direction of a feed movement for the stored media.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,116,860 11/1914 Trundle 271-41 2,401,719 6/1946 Braun 271-44 2,938,722 5/1960 Luning 271 -44 3,025,054 3/1962 Clemens etal 271 44 3,086,772 4/1963 Vogel 271-35 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Examiner. 

1. IN A TAG FEEDING AND SEPARATING DEVICE COMPRISING A HOPPER FOR HOLDING A STACK OF TAGS; SUPPORT MEANS FOR SAID TAGS; AND MEANS OPERABLE FOR ADVANCING TAGS FROM SAID HOPPER SERIATIM ALONG SAID SUPPORT MEANS; THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF TAG SEPARATING MEANS INCLUDING A MEMBER OPERABLE IN ONE DIRECTION OF ITS MOVEMENT OF RIFFLE THE TRAILING EDGES OF THE TAG STACK FOR SEPARATING TAGS; AND OPERABLE IN A REVERSE MOVEMENT THERETO FOR ENTERING AS A WEDGE BETWEEN SO RIFFLED WHEREBY TO EFFECT FURTHER SEPARATION THEREOF. 